Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

I’m fascinated by this one. And not just because Gina Torres is magnificent.

Was it Louis CK or was it Chris Rock who was watching Eric Rohmer’s CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON and decided, “Oh, yeah, we should definitely remake this”? If you haven’t seen Rohmer’s Moral Tales, they’re great films, observational and wise and complicated, and remaking them seems like a no-sum game.

But I love Louis CK. I think he’s a brilliant comic. He and Chris Rock have collaborated before, most notably on the cult oddity POOTIE TANG, and this time out, they’re aiming for their broadest audience yet.

Will they hit the target? Let’s see what J-Skell’s got to say:

Chris Rock is finally getting to a point where he's not just happy with paychecks. This is a good thing. Because he's wanting to make, you know, good movies for a change. And I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE is definitely a step in the right direction. His entire film career to this point has kind of felt like watered-down Chris Rock, one palatable for moms and preteens of America. Under the Fox Searchlight banner (and a much cheaper budget) he's finally getting his moment to cut loose; the film is easily the closest we've come to the quality laughs and subject matter of his standup. The film also nicely reflects his maturity. He gets into some grown-up themes and this is his first role where his playing an actual person. Sure, it's some successful banker alterego, but it's one who is examining his marriage crisis/temptation.

See, I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE is technically a remake of CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON, one of my favorite films by French New Wave filmmaker Eric Rohmer. It was one of his six morality plays and a near perfect study of love, lust, and conscience (kind of Rohmer's bread and butter). So before the film professors of America sharpen their knives at the concept of Rock remaking this classic as a modern comedy, get this: they kind of stay very faithful… kind of. It's not so much in the tone or specifics, but in the reuse of key details. Little things like the necktie (you'll see the parallel to the turtleneck) and the way Nikki smokes her cigarettes. I dare say there's a bit of homage going on here. But Rock has always been a smarter guy then he may have let on. He's a big fan of Woody Allen (who gave his "blessing" on the film) and Alexander Payne as well. You can see him shooting for those kind of moments and sequences here, but thankfully Rock always keeps it grounded in his own personality.

A big part of the success of this film secretly lies in co-writer Louis CK. He's the guy from the highly underappreciated LUCKY LOUIE and veterern writer and stand up comic to boot. (name your favorite new comic. Dane Cook? gulp… Carlos Mencia? Yeah, they steal from Louis CK. The guy gets ripped off more than anyone else you can imagine. Anywho.) CK's comedy comes from a similar examination of the domesticated nuances, which makes him a great fit as co-writer. More importantly, the man has a habit of keeping Chris Rock honest and makes him work for the laughs. The two have a long-standing creative relationship that I think works best for both of them. Here they're finally on the verge of writing an honest to god actual movie.

The first third of the film is pretty god damn funny. It hits some pacing problems for the rest of the film, and there's a whole bunch of weird shots/editing choices but I chock it up to experimentation. Which in this case is good, because they're trying to push themselves, learn, and hopefully get better. And the film definitely has some stand-out moments: Rock's opening proclamation, "F the Cracker", Gina Torres's wife phone calls before and after marriage, Washington dc, the dumb Viagra bit, Kerry Washington being hot as all hell, the wonderfully strange yet somehow appropriate ending, and the best part of all being "CHICKEN!!!!". I think it's the best moment of all Chris Rock movie moments. Even topping his rib fascination in I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA.

Even with all the these stand-out moments I still think that there are too many flat moments (not meaning unfunny moments, just moments that are a bit wooden/not organic enough) to carry the full weight. Maybe a big problem is that the film feels more like a good Fox proper studio movie and less an edgy Fox Searchlight. Then again, I'm still waiting for the take-no prisoners, and probably underappreciated in it's time Chris Rock-Louis CK movie masterpiece. This wasn't it, but it was a step in the right direction.

J-Skell